Sory for the delay everyone, holidays are just a tad busy for me, at work and home. This is a short chapter but i just didn't feel i could add anything else to it but next chapter we'll have a little peak of who or what is behind all this madness... (besides me of course... he he he) anyway. hope you guys enjoy.

Difficult Situations. Chp 3

Beast Boy gasped. The evidence was unmistakable. The mug with traces of the tea Raven had been drinking that very morning… or was it the night before? Were the one and the same, he knew because the faint scent of the herbs was a fresh reminder of how she tasted.

'But how to approach the… whatever this is'. Beast Boy thought to himself. The scenes run rampant in his already confused mind and he couldn't tell which one was a memory and what wasn't. He started to pace in front of the window while looking at the object in his hands. It was not gonna be easy to even try and confront Raven about something either a) she was trying to hide or b)she didn't know how to deal with herself.

'But that would be so NOT Raven, I mean, she always thinks things thru, right? She's not one to be impulsive and careless... no, something else must be going on and I have to find out before any more crazy stuff happens…' he thought and with a squeeze to the item in his hand as if for reassurance, he started to walk towards the door with the whole intention of going to her room but stopped halfway to the door. How or what exactly would he say? He scratched his head and slowly turned around towards the window again were some of the lights from the city were shining thru.

Beast Boy stared out the window and rummaged thru his head for possible ways to start the conversation.

"So, Raven, how about last night?" he spoke quietly to himself in an attempt to find a suitable tone of his voice, however, after much consideration, he frowned at his faint reflection on the glass as the traces of a smirk played in his reflection was a sure ticket for a slap in the face. So, he decided that would not do and dismissed that question. He didn't want to sound like a total jerk and risk making her mad for attempting a very embarrassing conversation.

He paced a few steps again until another possibility came to mind that made him stop and tried his luck again.

"You know Raven, after much consideration I've decided I really liked your tea and would love to have some more, but only if I can taste it from your lips again" again another mischievous grin escaped him that only lasted but a second after he finished his sentence because he realized how that would surely getting a free trip to the other side of the ocean.

"You wanna taste what from where?" asked a shocked Cyborg from the door right before he turned on the lights in the common room causing Beast Boy to jump, draining him of all color as he turned around to find a frowning Cyborg, approaching him while observing him suspiciously.

Beast Boy was now very nervous and jittery now. If Raven would send him to the other side of the ocean or more likely to another dimension, Cyborg would surely make it his job to turn him back into the amoeba Beast Boy once became to save him from the virus in his system, without having to use his powers. So, he gulped visibly and quickly thought of a decent response so as not to risk his neck.

"Um… nothing. I just…um… was… repeating something I heard that I remembered all of a sudden"

By now Cyborg was right in front of Beast Boy, with his arms crossed over his chest, narrowed eyes and a raised eyebrow, trying to decide whether Beast Boy's answer was believable.

"Hmmm, ok then… mind telling me what are you doing with that?" Cyborg said as he nodded at the object in Beast Boy's hands.

Beast Boy had almost forgotten about it and without looking at it, he waved his hand in dismissal and said "Oh, I found it on the floor, I think I saw Raven with it this morning before the mission so I picked it up" Beast Boy was glad that his voice sounded more confident than before and hoped that that was enough for Cyborg to drop the subject.

But Cyborg remained with the same expression and it seemed to Beast Boy that Cyborg's eyebrow would disappear if it crawled any higher in his scalp. Beast Boy cleared his throat and motioned for his friend towards the sofa.

"C'mon Tin Man, how about a rematch on the racing game" Beast Boy asked in his usual enthusiasm and sat down on the sofa and Cyborg watched him put the object between his feet and quickly grab the controllers from the table and offered him one with one hand while the other one pressed a button on the other controller to bring the console and tv to life.

After a moment, Cyborg shrugged and dismissed the incident and walked in front of Beast Boy, who was already going thru the menu to find the right map, and sat down, flexing his fingers over the controller, ready to start.

A few hours later, the two friends were still engaged in the racing game. Many times Beast Boy had come close to winning but somehow, Cyborg still managed to win. So engrossed they were in their laughs and friendly banter that they failed to hear the door hissing open and close until an emotionless, almost bored voice, got their attention.

"Don't you two knuckle heads have anything better to do at this hour?" Raven asked as she walked behind the sofa towards the kitchen.

Beast Boy had suddenly gone very still and his character was going out of the track, headed for an abyss when it stopped. Cyborg had paused the game before noticing how pale Beast Boy had gone and turned towards Raven.

"Hey Rae. What you doing up this late?"

Raven stopped her rummaging on the cupboard for a moment and without turning, she said "Its almost five o'clock, why haven't you gone to sleep yet" she said as she suddenly looked down and bent slightly to look into the dishwasher.

"What? No way!" Cyborg said and looked at the time on the clock of the wall then as if for more reassurance, at the built in digital clock on his left arm and almost whined. "Man, now I wont have enough time to recharge" then he pressed a few buttons on the controller and turned off the tv and the console. "Sorry B, I guess we'll pick up the rematch some other time, don't worry though, I just saved you the humiliation of loosing yet again in front of Raven"

At the mention of her name, Raven looked his way with a mild frown but went back to her task while Beast Boy had finally come out of his daze and looked at his friend for a moment and watched him rise from the sofa without a word. Suddenly, the noise of glass and china being moved around in the dishwasher got his attention and a sudden idea invaded his mind. This was the perfect opportunity to talk to Raven and what better chance than this one now that he had an excuse to start the difficult conversation. He got up, taking the item from the floor as he rose without losing sight of the empath.

"Um… hey Rae, is this what you're looking for?" he asked almost sheepishly and with a faint blush.

Raven straighten up and after looking at the item Beast Boy was offering her, she rose an eyebrow in mild confusion and looked from the item to his face before bending down again and continue her search.

"That's not what I need right now but… thank you"

"I found it… on the floor where you dropped it yesterday…" he stopped when he saw her straightening up again and saw her frown. "I figured this is what you were looking for"

But he noticed, aside from her look of suspicion how very slowly she brought a mug onto the counter and put it down gently as she once again looked from his hand to his face.

"What makes you think I was looking for a towel, Beast Boy? Inside the dishwasher of all places"

But Beast Boy had stopped listening as his sight was focused on the mug on the counter, between her hands as she waited for an answer. He looked from the mug to his hand and had to make a double take as he finally realized that in his hand was a rolled up kitchen towel on the palm of his hand with eyes wide open and many times he opened his mouth, trying to form any logical question or anything but in the end, nothing came out.

"Well?" he heard Raven say watched her cross her arms over her chest. "What are you doing with that towel anyway?"

"Um…I …this… but…" he stuttered. Beast Boy was sharply looking between his hand, the spot near the window where he thought he had found the mug and the mug itself on the counter.

"Yeah B. I also want to know the answer to that" said Cyborg who had stopped walking and had come back to stand close to Beast Boy, also with his arms crossed. "Because it looked mighty suspicious to me to find you in the dark, talking to yourself about tasting and lips, with a towel in your hand"

Beast Boy suddenly dropped the towel on the floor as if it had been a piece of very hot iron the moment Cyborg's insinuations clicked.

"What… no… that's not… "

Raven, who had started to prepare her tea while Beast Boy debated whether to answer or not, slowly turned around, with a mixed look of disgust and surprise and said "That… is gross. Thank you for killing my appetite" and with a quick flick of her hand, the hood of her cloak was over her head and she disappeared in a portal beneath her feet.

Needless to say Beast Boy was beyond mortified and Cyborg was not subtle enough to hide his laugh at the precarious position his friend was in. as he turned around, still laughing, Cyborg could only think of how awkward would it be with those two in the same room for now on.

And Beast Boy… well Beast Boy could not run fast enough towards his room and planned on not coming out for the rest of the day, praying to whatever deity that would listen that no emergencies would force him to come out because right about now, he didn't know how would he ever face Raven again without feeling mortified from his very core or without having to withstand the teasing that Cyborg would more likely engage into and not ever let him forget.

/

Thankfully for Beast Boy, there were no emergencies that day. After almost two hours from the incident, he had finally fallen sleep, but not because he couldn't sleep, rather, he was afraid of what his dreams with take him next. He was utterly confused and afraid of what was going on and too embarrassed to even ask for help to his teammates. How would he even begin such tail? Let alone, how to ask the right questions. Finally he succumbed to sleep, having gained a headache from the constant thinking of his predicament.

It was well passed lunch, possibly mid afternoon when he woke up. He rubbed his eyes and squinted at the bright light coming from the window until he opened them one by one. He sat up, stretched and yawned and looked around him wearily, trying to figure out what time it was until his stomach reminded him.

"Oh , time to eat. That's what time it is" he said to himself and got off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. Splashed some water on his face and headed to the door of his room when he stopped cold. The memories of the earlier hours and the incident came back rushing in his mind and he back tracked his steps until his legs stumbled on the bed and he fell backwards on it and continued crawling backwards until he was on the other side of the bed, his back against the window. Looking wide eyed at the door as if some monster had cornered him without a way out.

But again, his stomach brought him out of his paralyzed state and he placed his hands over it in other to quiet it down. He looked around him again as if taking note for the first time of his surroundings and settled his sight on latch of the window and without a second thought, he opened it , stepped on the ledge and jumped, turning into a falcon before he started to fall and flew towards the city in hopes of enjoying a meal without having to face his friends yet.